


Kiss of Fire

by gothmadeline



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, First Kiss, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 10:26:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15265494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gothmadeline/pseuds/gothmadeline
Summary: Just like a torch, you set the soul within me burningI must go on, I'm on this road of no returningAnd though it burns me and it turns me into ashesMy whole world crashes without your kiss of fire





	Kiss of Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm new-ish here, been switching between this account & my main to leave kudos, etc. I was inspired by the works I was reading & c'mon, [this pic is too much](https://www.instagram.com/p/Be61O0bAUiF/?taken-by=danny__avidan). Y'all have some talented writers, so I hope you'll accept my first fic in this fandom! 
> 
> The title & summary are from [Georgia Gibbs - Kiss of Fire](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLpzfER6w3c). 
> 
> Biggest of smooches to my friends bluebatwings & hopelesslybenaddicted for reading over this & squeeing with me <3

It itches. Dan’s no stranger to the scruff of a 24hr five o’clock shadow, but now that he’s letting his beard grow in, it’s chafing. It’s reached the in-between stage where it’s not quite a full beard, but it’s foregone the normal length. 

He reaches for the umpteenth time this recording session to rake his fingers across his chin, unfocused on the task & watching Arin get stuck. The next step will be to pull out his phone for a walkthrough, but comedic law dictates Arin should run around a little longer. 

“SHIT!” Arin yells and yep, that’s a hint of real rage in there. Dan laughs and grants mercy. “Okay, okay. Let me look up how to get out of here.” 

“I fucking _know_ how to do it, _DAN_.”

“Yeah, you’ve known how to do it for the past ten minutes.”

Arin snuffles loudly into the mic, muttering a ‘fuck this game’ under his breath. Dan tosses the pen at him so he can mark the time and they pause the recording. Stretching, Arin pops his shoulder and groans before heading to the door. 

“I’m gonna grab something to drink - you want anything?” 

“Yeah, I’ll come with you. Let me stretch these giraffe legs.” Dan stands and follows Arin to the door. He bumps into Arin’s back as they come to an abrupt halt in the doorway. 

“What is it?” Dan asks. 

Arin throws up a hand, cupping it to his ear. “Do you hear that?” 

Dan narrows his eyes, suspicious. “... Hear what?”

The most noxious fart known to mankind invades the recording room as Arin slams the door behind him, trapping Dan in the gas pit. He bangs on the door, outraged. 

“Fuckin’ - ARIN. You fuck! That’s disgusting!!” 

He yanks on the door handle but it resists & Arin cackles on the other side. 

“GOD, this is toxic, dude. You’re gonna turn my hair straight if you don’t let me out of here.” 

Arin relents and sweet air greets Dan as he rushes from the room. He chases Arin who sprints towards the kitchen, shoving his socked toes into the back of his kneecap. Arin wobbles for a second and keeps laughing, catching himself on the countertop. 

“Oh man, I was saving that one up,” Arin continues as he turns to the fridge. He grabs a bottle of water for himself & flips the kettle on for Dan. The tea fixings are on the counter behind the bar, so he rustles through them. 

“What kind do you want?” 

Dan comes over to dig through the individual tea packets. “How do you know I want tea?” 

“We’ve been playing forever,” he holds up a packet of green tea. “So you like to calm your throat.” 

Dan grabs his favorite mug from on top of the fridge, giving Arin a wide berth. “I appreciate it. But you can’t look out for my well-being and think I’m going to forget the atrocity you just committed. My people have been through enough.” He turns away to hide his smile as Arin snickers, wiping out the mug with a towel. 

“Well, you knocked my knee out of joint, so we’re even, I’d say.” They lean against opposite counters, listening to the water boil. Dan savors the small moment - as much as he loves talking with Arin for a living, he enjoys the quiet moments just as much. They’re rare; Arin isn’t constantly loud or talking when the recorders are off, but they spend the most time together on the Grump couch shouting, squealing, laughing until their ribs are sore. 

“Dude, you’re gonna just rub that beard right off.” Arin downs half the water bottle & points to his own chin when Dan makes a questioning noise. 

He looks down and realizes his fingers are stroking his jawline without him even thinking about it. “Ugh, yeah, I can’t stop touching it. I know that’s not good for my face, but it’s in that in-between bristly phase.” 

“It’s pretty thick for you. Usually you drop back to the five o’clock shadow after a week.” 

Dan’s been letting his facial hair go for about two weeks, allowing a salt and pepper proto-beard to appear. He drops his hand as the kettle clicks off. 

He gently shoulders Arin aside as he rips open the tea packet and reaches for the kettle. “Brian seems to get a lot of sexy success out of his beard, thought I’d give it a try.” 

Arin’s empty water bottle flies across the room and bounces off the rim of the recycling bin. He ambles over slowly to pick it up, talking over his shoulder. “Oh man, it’s a good thing you’re single right now. Suzy _hated_ when I first started growing facial hair.” 

Dan rolls his eyes, “Thanks, Ar. Love the reminder.” He’s mostly joking. Things had been complicated and busy lately - it was better this way for the short term. The beard would likely be long gone before he went on a date anyway. He scratches absentmindedly while he stirs in honey for his tea. 

“I’ll take you on a date. I’ve already got beard enough for the both of us.” Arin leans toward him, wiggling his eyebrows and tossing his hair back. Dan laughs and shoves him again, turning around with his tea to let it cool on the bar. He hops up a few inches and sits, admiring his football socks as his legs dangle.

“But forreal dude,” Arin continues. “Suzy wouldn’t let me kiss her for like a month. It gave her a beard burn if I got within three feet of her. Her skin’s really sensitive anyway.” He blows out a breath and ruffles the edges of his mustache. 

Dan hums in thought, “Yeah I think my face has always been naked when I’ve been in a longer relationship. It never really came up. Or maybe they didn’t mind.” 

Arin’s scrolling Twitter on his phone, looking down. “I guess it could be hot for some people, like a bit of it. Not a full on burn, but the scratchy sensation.” 

His tea is still cooling, so Dan crosses his arms and waits. He can just see the very end of Arin’s ponytail behind his shoulder - his hair is getting long. So is Dan’s. The observation gives him permission to compare other things about Arin while they idle, a few moments stretching to feel much longer. 

The strength in his shoulders has increased. Workout after workout started paying off for Arin while Dan still feels like a wiry noodle. Arin’s definitely stronger, but maybe Dan’s facial hair will help him compensate for some manliness. They’re both tall, but their silhouettes are so different. He likes the contrast of them. Dan’s mind continues wandering - they look good standing together. 

And then the beard. It’s too strange to think about Arin without it. It had become such a part of him. Dan can’t imagine cutting his hair short again or changing his appearance much at all, but if Arin wanted to shave, there would be a public uproar at this point.

He thinks about Suzy standing on tiptoe to give Arin a kiss, but wrinkling her nose & pulling away when she gets a face full of bristles. It makes him smile and also sort of curious. The moment feels comfortable and his filter is turned off. 

“So what would happen if Suzy had a beard?”

Arin lets out a startled laugh, “I’m sorry, what?” He looks up from his phone, bemused. 

Dan picks up his tea and takes a mouse-sized sip - still too hot. “Okay, but like. WHAT IF she did have a beard and then you were kissing her, would you get beard burn too? Or does your beard cancel out the burning??”

He sets his tea down, animated. “You could have negative beards!” 

“I guess? Dudes with beards kiss all the time.”

“They probably have full beards though. What if she only had a stubble coming in strong?”

“If Suzy were going to have a beard, she would just wake up one day & have a kickass beard. No awkward growing period required.” 

Dan sets his cup back down, thoughtful. “You’re totally right. She would.” He frowns at the mischievous light in Arin’s eye. “What?”

Arin looks back down at his phone, too nonchalant. “We could test your theory right now. Idiotssaywhat.”

“ _What?_ ”

An animal instinct in Dan has been long trained to just move in the opposite direction automatically when Arin gets that look. It never ends up well for him. He pushes off the counter, feet barely landing, but before he can escape, Arin has already swooped forward, grinning from ear to ear. 

He traps Dan against the ledge with his weight, but Dan wiggles fiercely, giggling and shoving at Arin’s face with one hand, the other trapped between them. “Arin, STOP.” 

They’re both laughing. “I’m just being a good scientist, Dan. Gotta test my hypothesis. Stop moving so much!” 

Arin presses forward harder and traps Dan with his hips and Dan stops laughing. Arin hasn’t caught on and barrels forward, fitting his hands on Dan’s neck, almost cupping the back of his head as he pulls him forward. Dan’s too stunned to resist as Arin leans to the left and brushes his mustache all the way up Dan’s jawline, his nose tracing gently to his ear. The short hairs bristle and catch, zinging nervous shocks through the sensitive skin of his face and neck, his cheeks flaming as his body goes tense. 

Dan can’t speak - he doesn’t even know what he would say. His fingers squeeze involuntarily at the front of Arin’s t-shirt, bunching the fabric. 80% of Arin’s body is pressed against Dan; it doesn’t take him long to notice the change in atmosphere and body language. It doesn’t stop him from taking a soft inhale, Dan’s curls pressed against his face for a moment before he pulls back and drags his mouth down the other side. 

It’s less of him tucking in his lips for maximum mustache drag. It’s a ghost of feeling, pressing soft breaths of sensation as he goes from the corner of Dan’s jaw all the way to his dimpled chin. Dan doesn’t remember closing his eyes or holding his breath, but it feels better that way, for the moment - a tenuous bubble protecting them from the ‘no homo’ vibes that are sure to follow. 

This could be a losing game. Dan’s heart hammers with worry and longing, pushing into his throat as he considers opening his eyes to what he really wants to see. Arin filled with the same feelings he’s struggled with for so long. The scars of daily battles with his willpower have hardened into fear of taking that first step. As each year he gets older, he regrets not saying anything more and more - but a falling out between them would be decimating. 

Tears burn behind his eyes. He hates this, the restraint, when he’s a man of action. But he’s also a cautious planner and he can’t plan for what would happen if he closed the few inches between their mouths. Arin’s never been one for being predictable and for as many dick jokes that he throws around, Dan’s never been sure on Arin’s true feelings about kissing another man. 

Not just another man - his partner. In business, in comedy, in supporting a whole team of people. Terror rises up from his stomach and he can’t take it anymore. They’ve only been pressed together for a few seconds and Dan feels like he’s burning up, consumed like a forest fire, and if he doesn’t get away from Arin right now, he’s going to burn him up too.

His chest pushes slightly against Arin’s on his inhale to speak, but the fingers still wrapped around his nape shift and tighten so softly that Dan stops. Dread compels him to open his eyes, to meet the joke on Arin’s face, to laugh away his awkwardness and get back to business as usual. 

He inhales again as he does finally look at Arin. None of the humor or shame burns in Arin’s eyes like Dan expected - it’s the same fear churning his gut that’s shuttering Arin’s face into a specter of his normal self. He’s not holding back for Dan and it makes Dan’s chest ache to see the sadness in those brown eyes he loves so much. 

That’s what pushes him forward. He’s never been able to deny Arin a single thing when it really mattered and what kind of monster could say no to a face like that? His own fear and worries of selfishness wash away in a flood of affection for the man before him and he fits their mouths together for the briefest moment, his free hand coming up to guide Arin’s chin. 

A second is all he can manage, but he doesn’t pull too far away. They stay together, sharing breath, eyes too close to focus on each other. As the seconds stretch and Arin does nothing, the forest fire turns to ice, prickling from Dan’s fingers that gently stroked Arin’s beard a heartbeat ago and knifing down his arms to encase his body. He pulls his hand away. A mistake - he made a miserable, awful mistake, and now he’s exposed his intentions and ruined _everything_ and - 

The thought process stops as Arin pushes his fingers just that much higher to grasp the curls at the base of his neck. Dan huffs a breath as it makes his shoulders break out in goosebumps and the distraction gives way to surprise when Arin closes the distance between them once more. He lasts longer than Dan did and while this kiss is chaste, it’s the most intimate he’s felt with another person in his life. He breathes through his nose as a tremor shoots up his spine - Arin is kissing him. He’s kissing Arin. The world hasn’t collapsed around them just yet. 

A jarring buzz between their hips collapses the moment. Dan’s phone chirps in his front pocket with an incoming call and they push apart, Dan fumbling to get the device out and shut it off. He can’t look up at Arin when he finishes, even though they’re standing toe to toe. His stomach feels like a Tilt-A-Whirl and his mouth filled with cotton as he opens it to speak. “Arin, I…” 

Further interruptions come from the main room, the door opening to let in various chattering Grumps as they come back from a lunch break. Dan squeezes his eyes shut, wanting to be anywhere but here right now. Just to give him time to think and process. 

“Dan. Look at me.” 

Arin sounds so calm that he does automatically. He lifts his head and opens his eyes as Arin nudges the smallest bit closer, then tucks a stray piece of hair behind Dan’s ear. They stare at each other and all the chaos inside Dan quiets, his turmoil doused by the placid peace in Arin. They are going to be just fine. 

Arin searches his eyes for another moment, making sure Dan got his message. Then he lifts Dan’s hand, pressing a quiet kiss to his palm and smiles. Before he steps away, he runs a finger over the bristle of Dan’s cheek. 

“I didn’t get any beard burn, so I guess we’re negative beards, like you said.” 

It punches a breathy laugh out of Dan, who grins back at Arin. As they turn to leave the kitchen, Arin speaks quietly. “And don’t listen to Brian - you don’t need facial hair to have any sexy success. You’re hot all the time.” Arin keeps walking as Dan goes pink, frozen in the entryway. He’s told Dan that a hundred times, but today …. It feels a little different. 

“Don’t forget your tea,” Arin yells, already near the recording room. Dan straightens and looks around him like he can’t believe he's awake, before grabbing his mug, heading back to his life with a smile.


End file.
